Wire-stretcher.



PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904,

I H. L. FERRIS.

WIRE ST-RETOHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 18, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNTTEE STATES Patented August 9, 1904.

PATENT OEETQE.

HENRY L. FERRIS, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HUNT, HELM, FERRIS & COMPANY, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,336, dated August 9, 1904.

Application filed March 18, 1904.

To all wlbmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. FnRRIs', a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in wire-stretchers; and its object is to produce a device of this class which shall have certain advantages which will appear more fully and at large in the course of this specification.

To this end my invention consists in certain novel features of construction, which are clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in this specification.

In the aforesaid drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved wire-stretcher. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one end of the wirestretcher, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the end of the wirestretcher looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section in the line 4 A of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail elevation of the sliding yoke; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail perspective of the same, partly broken away.

Referring to the drawings, A is a suitable ratchet-bar, having notches upon opposite sides. At the end of this bar A is a hook to, to which are secured the ends of a chain A, which is passed around a post or other support to secure the end of the bar A in place. Upon this ratchet-bar A is a sliding yoke or slide B, the construction of which is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. It will be seen that this slide consists of two parallel plates having at their front and rear a slightly-greater width than the width of .the ratchet-bar, these plates being connected at front and rear by suitable struts b. The side pieces of this slide are cut away near the forward ends to expose the upper and lower notched surface of the ratchet-bar, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1.

Upon the slide B are oppositely-extending 'gudgeons b, to which is pivoted a lever B,

Serial No. 198,855- (No model.)

composed in the preferred form of two straps of sheet metal secured together at their lower ends and separated at their upper ends to straddle the slide. Between the ends of these straps are pivoted two bar-engaging dogs .0 on opposite sides of the bars A. On the forward end of the slide B is a laterally-extending gudgeon b and above this gudgeon is a laterally-extending jaw 6 in the preferred form having a flat lower surface and a curved upper surface. Upon the gudgeon is pivoted a lever D, which has a flange (Z overhanging the edge of the jaw b and a plurality of teeth cl arranged in a curve eccentric with respect to the gudgeon b the rear teeth being further removed from the center than the front, so that the lever is rotated counterclockwise from a position seen in Fig. 1. The teeth approach the jaw 6 On the front end of the rod A is a casting E. This casting has a portion 6 at right angles to the plane of the ratchet-bar A, this portion being normally vertical, an overhanging .normally horizontal portion 8, having a flared end 6 a downwardly-extending piece 0 and a normally horizontal gudgeon 6 all these parts being in the preferred form of construction cast integral. Upon the gudgeon 6* is journaled a clamping member F, having at one end a hand-lever and at the other a toothed portion f, the teeth of which are arranged in an eccentric curve and adapted to swing toward and cooperate with the overhanging portion 6 of the casting E when the clamping-lever F is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction from the position seen in Fig. 2. A spring F holds this lever normally in engagement with this overhanging portion.

The operation of my improved device will now be readily apparent. The device is attached to a post, as illustrated, and barbed or other wire is then passed through the clamp at the forward end of the device and secured between the teeth on the clamping-lever D and the lower end of the jaw 5 as indicated in Fig. 1. When in use, the ratchet-bar A occupies a horizontal position, and the weight of the forward end thereof is supported by the overhanging horizontal portion a of the casting IE, which hangs upon the wire. After the wire is secured in the clamp on the slide the operating-lever B is worked back and forth, and the slide moves back on the rod in the ordinary way, the wire running through the clamp at the forward end of the rod by retating the clamping-lever F against the force of the spring F. When, however, the slide has moved to the rear end of the rod A and it is desired to pull in more wire, the clampinglever D is released by hand, and the wire will be held taut by the forward clamp, the spring holding the clamping-lever in engagement with the wire. The operation of pulling up the wire can then be repeated as often as desired. A particular advantage of my improved construction consists in the fact that the clamp at the forward end of the rod. is always in position to engage with the wire to prevent any backward movement of the same, and. yet does not interfere with the forward movement thereof, and in the further fact that this clamp hangs upon the wire and causes the wire to furnish a support for the forward end of the device. The construction of the slide having the integral wire-clamping jaw b is an additionalimprovement and overcomes the use of loosely-connected clampingaws, which are bination with a bar and means on the rear end of the bar for connecting the same to a post or other support, leaving the front end of the bar free to move, of a slide moving thereon, suitable means for advancing the same along the bar, a clamp carried by said slide and a guiding device and wire-clamp on the forward end of the bar..

In witness whereof I have signed the above application for Letters Patent, at Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, this 10th day of March, A. D. 1904.

HENRY L. FERRIS.

Witnesses:

\VILL L. RULE, I/VILLIAM ANDREW. 

